Packages



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A. F. H-HEMMJN 3,337,034

PACKAGE S Filed Nov. 6, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l F/G.2. zo 6 4 7 f Maxaman.

.....L/sss g. 22, E967 A, F,TH1EMANN 3,337,934

PACKAGES Filed Nov. e, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 5.

United States Patent O 3,337,034 PACKAGES Adriaan Franciscus Thiemann, Rotterdam, Netherlands, assignor to Lever Brothers Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Maine Filed Nov. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 409,461 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Nov. 11, 1963, 44,407/63 5 Claims. (Cl. 206-46) ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE The invention is directed to a wrapper for products, such as margarine, having a tendency to exude oil when subjected to pressure, the wrapper enclosing the product and having overlapping free edges along one side of the product and a barrier zone of grooved, honeycomb or printed formation extending lengthwise of at least one of the overlapping free edges of the wrapper to prevent the dow of oil between the overlapping free edges.

packets lled with a plastic substance which tends to exude a liquid, particularly when the packets are formed by a wrapper having a smooth surface.

Although the invention is concerned in general with the packaging of any substance which tends to exude a liquid or the like when a plurality of packages of the substance are stacked one upon the other, the invention is particularly concerned with the packaging of plastic edible substances such as fatty compositions, for example, margarine and butter.

Practically all kinds of margarine will more or less exude oil, the extent of 'which depends on the composition, the manufacturing method and the temperature and pressure during storage. We have noticed that very small traces of exuded oil cause inconvenient sticking together of prints of margarine which are wrapped in a s-mooth wrapper with overlapping edge portions, for instance a wrapper made of aluminium, polyvinyl chloride foil, or polished parchment, or combinations of these.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a package comprising a substance that tends to exude liquid, and a wrapper enclosing the substance in such a manner that there is a side of the package along which edge portions of the wrapper overlap, at least the underneath edge portion of said overlapping edge portions having a barrier against exudation of said liquid formed therein, said barrier running along said side of the package and between said overlapping edge portions. The barrier may consist of a groove extending in the longitudinal direction of the package, an embossed honeycomb design, or one or more lines of print, such as advertising matter.

If the barrier is in the form may also be formed in the wrapper.

Preferably the two grooves are formed simultaneously by applying groove-forming pressure to both said overlapping edge portions: preferably, the nature of the wrapper is such that the groove so formed in the superimposed edge portion tends to assume a position in which it is spaced outwardly slightly away from the groove so formed in the underneath edge portion, so that an air pocket is formed between said two grooves.

Said overlapping edge portions may be formed with a plurality of grooves, preferably substantially parallel and spaced apart across the width of the overlapping edge of a groove, a similar groove the superimposed edge portion of portions or with an embossed honeycomb design in at least a part of the underneath edge portion of the two overlapping edges.

The wrapper can have a smooth or polished outer surace.

The liquid exuded by the wrapped substance can be oil.

According to another aspect of the present linvention foil, polished parchment, or combinations thereof, of which the edge portions overlap, in which in the overlapping edge portions of the wrapper and within the area of overlap a barrier is pressed into the wrapper edge portion that is in contact with or is intended to be wrapped around and then come into contact with, the plastic substance.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a groove is pressed with light pressure into both edge portions of the wrapper overlapping each other, the grooves conveniently being made simultaneously by applying pressure to the outer overlap of the wrapper.

By Way of example, embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the: accompanying diagrammatic drawing in which:

FIGURE l shows a perspective view illustrating the location of an oil film formed between two packets of margarine after being stacked for a certain time;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-section, on a larger scale, of adjacent parts of two stacked packets;

FIGURE 3 is a similar cross-section to that shown in FIGURE 2 but shows packets to Which one embodiment of the present invention has been applied; and

FIGURES 4 and 5 are perspective views of two packets of margarine to which two different embodiments according to the invention have been applied, the wrapper in both cases being shown partly removed.

After being stored for 24 hours at :a temperature between 20 C. and 22 C., it was noticed that a stack of margarine packets wrapped in smooth foil clearly showed the formation of an oil film between the packets. This is illustrated in FIGURE 1, according to which between two margarine packets 1 and 2 an oily film hasformed, indicated by the shaded areas 3. In FIGURE 2 the location of the oily film, namely on that portion of the Wrapper that forms the overlap and on the contacting portion of the top surface of the lower packet, is indicated by the shaded area 10. The arrows show the way in which the oily ilm 10 is tra-yelling, it is believed under the iniluence of capillary forces. The packet 4 stacked upon packet 5 is wrapped in a smooth wrapper with overlapping margins or edge portions 6 and 7.

In FIGURE 3 one solution of the problem as provided by the present invention is shown, in `which 4 and 5 denote upper and lower margarine packets respectively. The transport of oil between the overlappingedge portions 6 and 7 of the wrapper, as believed caused by capillary forces, is disturbed as a result of the small grooves having been pressed simultaneously into these overlapping portions, approximately in the middle of the area of overlap, parallel to the overlapping margins, thus creating a barrier which prevents, or substantially prevents, the exuded oil passing. This is caused by the fact that after exerting only light pressure on pressing the grooves, the overlapping portion of the wrapper, i.e. the superimposed portion 7, springs back in a greater degree than the overlapped edge portion of the wrapper, i.e. the underneath portion, which more or less sticks to the margarine. This small diiference in permanent deformation of the overlapping edge portions creates a suiiicient air ocket or air lock 8 between the two grooves; We have ound that this air pocket effectively prevents, or reduces, he passage of oil between the overlapping edge portions i', 7 ofthe wrapper.

Existing packaging machines can readily be modified to ierform the method of the invention, for instance by pro- /iding a wire or thin rod on the pressing plate of the Jackaging machine which presses the packaged margarine .nto its deinite form, so that a small groove is pressed ;imultaneously in both overlapping edge portions of the wrapper.

However, if it is desired that the groove is to be pressed only in the underneath overlapping edge portion of the wrapper, that is the overlapping portion in direct contact with the margarine, in order to create a barrier for the oil, certain diliiculties may arise in adapting some of the existing packaging machines in a convenient way to the method of the invention. Under these conditions, the method may appropriately be modified according to the invention in such a way that either a blank is used for the wrapper of which at least a part of that one of the overlapping edge portions which in wrapping will form the underneath edge portion has been provided beforehand with a barrier such as a groove or an embossed honeycomb design, or a line of print, or that a provision is made in the packaging machine to press such a barrier into said portion of the blank just prior to the wrapping operation.

Any conventional means such as an appropriately proiled roller and counter-roller may be used for the latter purpose.

FIGURE 4 clearly illustrates the embodiment in which a groove 9 in the margarine packet has been provided in both portions of the overlap.

FIGURE gives an illustration of an embodiment in which an embossed honeycomb design 11 has been impressed in the form of an elongated strip, in the underneath edge portion of the overlapping edge portions of a wrapper. Obviously a similar embossed honeycomb design could also be impressed in the superimposed portion of the overlapping edge portions. Furthermore the embossed honeycomb design could be impressed in the whole of the underneath edge portion, or in the whole of the superimposed edge portion, or in the whole of both portions.

In a further alternative (not shown), one or more lines of print are impressed in at least the underneath edge portion of the overlapping edge portions of the wrapper. A similar line or lines of print could also be impressed in the superimposed portion of the overlapping edge portions. Furthermore, such line or lines of print may be in addition to one or more grooves. For example a groove may be formed at one or both sides of a line of print.

The form of the groove is preferably linear with a smoothly curved profile. In this way deformations of the groove as well as tearing of the wrapper are avoided as much as possible. It is also possible to design barriers with other forms or proles, provided that the transport of oil is thereby effectively prevented or reduced. For example, in the embodiments of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4 the barriers have substantially V cross-section.

I claim:

1. A package comprising a block of a substance that tends to exude liquid, a wrapper enclosing the substance and having edge portions in free overlapping relation at one side of the block, and a barrier against exudation of said liquid formed in at least the underneath edge portion of said overlapping edge portions, said barrier running along said side of the block and between said overlapping edge portions.

'2. A package according to claim 1, wherein the barrier is in the form of a groove extending in the longitudinal direction of the block.

3. A package comprising a substance that tends to exude liquid, a wrapper having edge portions enclosing the substance in such a manner that there is a side of the package along which said edge portions of the wrapper overlap, and a barrier against exudation of said liquid formed in at least the underneath edge portion of said overlapping edge portions, said barrier running along said side of the package and between said overlapping edge portions, said barrier being in `the form of an embossed honeycomb design extending in the longitudinal direction of the package and formed in the underneath edge portion of said overlapping edge portions.

4. A package comprising a substance that tends to exude liquid, a wrapper having edge portions enclosing the substance in such a manner that there is a side of the package along which said edge portions of the wrapper overlap, and a barrier against exudation of said liquid formed in at least the underneath edge portion of said overlapping edge portions, said barrier running along said side of the package and between said overlapping edge portions, said barrier being in the form of a rst groove extending in the longitudinal direction of the package, and formed in the underneath edge portion of the overlapping edge portions of the wrapper, and an opposed similar second groove formed in the superimposed edge portion of said overlapping edge portions of the wrapper.

5. A package comprising a substance that tends to exude liquid, a wrapper having edge portions enclosing the substance in such a manner that there is a side of the package along which said edge portions of the wrapper overlap, and a barrier against exudation of said liquid formed in at least the underneath edge portion of said overlapping edge portions, said barrier running along said side of the package and between said overlapping edge portions, said barrier lbeing in the form of a irst groove extending in the longitudinall direction of the package, and formed in the underneathl edge portion of the overlapping edge portions of the wrapper, and an opposed similar second groove formed in the superimposed edge portion of said overlapping edge portions of the wrapper, the rst groove being spaced outwardly from the second groove so that an air pocket is formed between the two grooves.

9/ 1944 Moore. 3/ 1964 Vergobbi.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PACKAGE COMPRISING A BLOCK OF A SUBSTANCE THAT TENDS TO EXUDE LIQUID, A WRAPPER ENCLOSING THE SUBSTANCE AND HAVING EDGE PORTIONS IN FREE OVERLAPPING RELATION AT ONE SIDE OF THE BLOCK, AND A BARRIER AGAINST EXUDATION OF SAID LIQUID FORMED IN AT LEAST THE UNDERNEATH EDGE PORTION OF SAID OVERLAPPING EDGE PORTIONS, SAID BARRIER RUNNING ALONG SAID SIDE OF THE BLOCK AND BETWEEN SAID OVERLAPPING EDGE PORTIONS. 